The Doctor and the Vet
by Anfloga
Summary: Tristan Farnon doesn't want to play cricket. Luckily, there's a stranger in Darrowby who does- and no-one can tell them apart. What could possibly go wrong? I've had to make the timings a bit wibbly-wobbly and put an extra year in between the episode with the cricket match and the beginning of WWII. No pairings- and that goes for you too, Tristan. Behave. I own nothing. Please R R.
1. Chapter 1

"So, do I even want to ask where we're going this time?"

"Tegan…" The Doctor let a heavy sigh escape through his teeth and slowly looked up at her from where he leant over the TARDIS console.

"I just want to be sure that, just for once, there's going to be no chance of us getting ourselves killed, maimed, attacked, sacrificed, expected to help out with local wars, or in any way endangered the moment we step out of the door. And another thing-"

"-Alright, Tegan. Tell you what, I'll put exactly those criteria into the TARDIS, see what she comes up with, and then you can pick our destination from that. Agree?"

"Fine. But add to the list that I don't want to be worshipped as a god, kept as a pet or imprisoned for shouting too much either."

"That won't happen again, I promise. And in my defence, I did warn you that unauthorised bossiness is an imprisonable offence on Vlaros III…" While Tegan tried to come up with a suitable retort, he punched a couple of buttons on the console with a flourish, straightened up, glanced down at the results of his search and immediately began to fumble in his pockets for his glasses. Finding them, he peered down at the console again, then sheepishly up at Tegan. She stalked round to his side of the console, looked down at it, then, with a face like thunder;

"Earth? You're telling me that the only place in the entirety of space and time as known to the ancient race of Time Lords themselves where you can safely go is Earth? After all you've put it through?"

"Be fair, Tegan; it was never really my fault. And, well, I must admit that I entered a couple of criteria of my own as well as yours…" The penny dropped. Tegan sighed, her anger turning to exasperated resignation.

"You wanted somewhere to play cricket."

"Yes, well, it's a very long time since I've played."

"Fine, whatever. Earth it is then."

"Oh, not again!" Turlough had just entered the console room in time to catch this last exchange, and Tegan shot him a look contemptuous enough to give a charging rhinoceros self-esteem issues. Turlough, however, remained unperturbed. "Why earth this time?"

"The Doctor thinks it's a safe place to play cricket." Tegan's voice dripped with scorn.

"How is earth, of all places, safe for you?" demanded the young Trion; "after all the trouble you've caused there?"

"Ah, but this is a specific time and place on earth where we'll all be as safe as houses." The Doctor ignored Turlough's quip, instead flashing his two companions a dazzling smile and swiping the air with an imaginary cricket bat. "1930s Yorkshire. Did you know that there's no place in the universe more self-contained than Yorkshire? Beautiful countryside, wonderful people, no alien activity for years to come; you'll both love it."

* * *

"TRISTAAAAN!" Siegfried's bellow erupted through Skeldale house, causing the dogs to start up an almighty racket, Mrs Hall to shake her head in annoyance as she almost dropped her laundry basket and the youngest member of the practice to saunter lazily down the stairs, adjusting his cuffs and looking at his brother with a hurt expression.

"There's no need to shout, you know, Siegfried. I was only upstairs"

"That's no excuse; for all I know you were probably asleep or something of the sort."

"I was studying, actually, now you come to mention it" The look of offended dignity on Tristan's face was so impeccable that Siegfried almost believed him. "Anyway, was there something you wanted?"

"Yes, there was. I am reminding you now, so you don't conveniently forget this afternoon, that you are expected to be- and will be- playing for Darrowby in this afternoon's cricket match. No excuses, no emergencies, no prior engagements. If there are any call-outs, James or I will take them, you will not. Understand?"

"Dash it all, Siegfried, you know how much their bowler hates me. He nearly killed me two years ago, and that was before he caught me flirting with his fiancée. I won't stand a chance against him this year. Let me take calls."

"Certainly not. Heaven knows some good, healthy exercise is just what you need. All three of us will be on the cricket pitch this afternoon, and Mrs Hall will be taking calls. She can cycle down to the pitch if we're needed, but I highly doubt we will be. And don't be such a coward. There is a tide in the affairs of men, Tristan-"

"Alright, alright. I'll be there. But I want the evening off tomorrow."

"Take the evening off; take this morning off if you like. But don't forget;_ you must be on that pitch this afternoon, or there will be trouble._"

"Have I ever failed you, dear brother?" Tristan flashed Siegfried a dazzling smile and swung an imaginary cricket bat against the air, then sauntered out of the front door into the warm, August sunshine.


	2. Chapter 2

In a small beech copse ringed with a drystone wall, slightly set back from the road that tumbled down the steep side of the fell into a lush valley with dark green floodplains sweeping slowly down towards the silver snake of the river which wound lazily past farms and villages, a high pitched, grating wheeze split the warm air. This was shortly followed by the appearance as if from nowhere of a battered blue box, and out stepped a young, fair-haired man dressed for cricket, followed by a grumpy-looking woman with short, dark hair and a red-headed boy in an uncomfortable-looking school uniform. The Doctor, who had changed his striped trousers for more conventional whites in the hope of being invited into someone's cricket game, took a deep breath and grinned. "Darrowby in the Yorkshire Dales, August 1939. And a warm, sunny bank holiday Monday, to boot. If there isn't a cricket game going on somewhere, I'll never trust my judgement again." Turlough peered up through the bright green leaves of the beech trees to the astonishing blue of the sky and remarked that this wasn't so very bad, he supposed, but at the mention of the date, Tegan was looking at the Doctor with a mixture of sadness and cynicism.

"August bank holiday, 1939, you say? It must be a matter of days before-"

"Yes, Tegan, it is. But it hasn't happened yet, so let's not think about the future, just for today, hmm? I can promise you most of them will be trying not to."

"Whatever you say."

"Anyway, I'm off to find a cricket match, and you two are free to explore the delights of the 1930s Yorkshire Dales. Or you could come and watch the cricket…?" His hopeful expression dwindled away into forlorn resignation as the looks on their faces told him very clearly that, by now, even Tegan was thoroughly fed up of cricket. "Well, whatever you like, but if you need me, just look for the nearest cricket pitch and I'll be there."

"You promised this place was safe enough that we wouldn't need you" pointed out Tegan, but the Doctor had already set off down the hill, hands in his pockets and whistling contentedly. She sighed, then hurried after the Doctor to confront him about what exactly he had meant by 'if you need me'. Turlough returned to the TARDIS, partly to find his sketchbook, but more to avoid Tegan. After a couple of minutes, he emerged, sketchbook in hand, and began to wander slowly downhill towards the distant town.

* * *

Siegfried was out at a farm visit over lunch, so Tristan was spared the lecture he had been dreading on the health benefits of sport and sportsmanship, however James and Helen were both in, and James, not having been able to escape the match himself, wasn't about to let Tristan slope off, or to convey his excuses for doing so to Siegfried. "Don't make such a fuss, Triss. If anyone's going to kill you, it'll be Siegfried if you don't turn up, not Tagger if you do." Resigned to his fate, Tristan set off upstairs to change into his whites, and ten minutes later was dragging his feet out of Skeldale house and down towards the other end of Darrowby and the cricket pitch. He wasn't heading in the usual direction, instead towards a smaller path that ran alongside both the scrubby field that served as a pitch and the hay meadow behind it, which rose steeply into a hill, affording an excellent view of the entire game. In summer, when the grass was long, it provided perfect cover in which to hide without being too far from the game, so that one could be conspicuously present at the beginning of the game, conveniently disappear while Tagger Herd was bowling and then reappear as soon as he had gone off, feigning disappointment. Tristan wasn't sure how well this technique would work with Siegfried on the prowl, but it was certainly worth a try.

There was a smaller track up ahead which came down from the fells just above Darrowby, and joined Tristan's route just ahead of him. On this track and about to reach the path was a young, fair-haired man in cricket whites whom Tristan didn't recognise. He assumed this was a new addition to the away team, then realised there was something familiar about the stranger. There was something in his way of walking and holding himself, even in his looks, that reminded him of a taller, thinner and younger version of Siegfried, or perhaps their father. As the other approached and Tristan could make out his face more clearly, he realised with a shock that this other person, whoever he was, was a perfect replica of himself, even down to the clothes he was wearing. Tristan's counterpart reached the confluence of the two paths just as he did, and smiled pleasantly at him, then spoke;

"Excuse me, old chap, but you wouldn't happen to know where I could find a game of cricket, would you?" Then, suddenly, he blinked hard, as if noticing Tristan for the first time, did a double take, put his head in his hands and groaned. Startled and confused, Tristan could only stare.


	3. Chapter 3

As the Doctor descended a path down towards the town, he was gratified to notice a young man dressed for cricket walking in the same direction as he was going, with a leisurely pace that evidently signified plenty of time still left before play commenced. It was unimaginable to the Doctor's single-tracked mind that such a slow pace could mean unwillingness to play cricket, or that such a thing could even exist. There even seemed something familiar about the other, but five centuries of time and space made it difficult to place every familiar face. He hurried to meet the other where their paths crossed, then eagerly enquired;

"Excuse me, old chap, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find a game of cricket, would you…?" He tailed off, suddenly realising why the young man in front of him was so familiar. And he had promised Tegan and Turlough that there would be no alien activity. He dropped his head into his hands, groaned, then looked up at the other "I haven't bumped into myself so often since I was that little, dark-haired chap. So what's the excuse this time for being in my time-stream?…but…wait a minute…you're not me! You're not even a Time Lord! Who are you?"

"Ah…Um…" the other simply looked confused.

"Ah-ha! Identity confusion!" The Doctor brightened up. "I evidently didn't manage the chameleon effect properly. Tell me, old chap, do you have a pocket watch?"

"As a matter of fact, the time's just coming up to two o'clock, but-"

"No, I didn't want the time from your wrist watch, I just want to know whether you own a pocket watch."

"Um, no, I don't, but I don't see what that... Look, you said something about a game of cricket…"

"Let's concentrate on the watch for now, shall we? You're absolutely sure you don't own one? Only it's very important that you're sure about this."

"Yes, I'm positive. My older brother inherited the pocket watch from our father, as I'm sure he'll be only too glad to confirm. But, look, whoever you are, you might at least tell me why you're so interested in personal methods of time-keeping"

"An older brother, well that settles it then. You are human, after all. I'm terribly sorry for putting you through all those questions, and it's a bit too complicated to explain, but, you see, I had to be sure that you weren't me. You must admit the resemblance is quite striking." The young man opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if trying to come up with a suitable question to elicit an explanation of what had just happened. He didn't seem to be having much luck, so the Doctor decided to put him out of his misery. "I'm the Doctor, by the way," he added. His companion appeared relieved at having the conversation finally move in a direction which he could understand.

"The Doctor? That's a coincidence; I'm the vet. Well, one of them. And I'm not actually qualified yet, so I don't suppose I'm really a vet, either. The name's Tristan Farnon, anyway. And didn't you ask me something about a cricket match?"

Someone so desperate to talk about cricket was evidently a kindred spirit. The Doctor smiled. "I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble, old man, but I just happened to be passing through the town and I wondered if there were any chance of getting a game."

"You know, that's a coincidence…"

* * *

"You're absolutely sure?" The Doctor, lying concealed in the hay meadow above the pitch, was as keen as ever to get the bat in his hands, but the idea of trickery concerned him deeply. "You're convinced your own brother wouldn't be able to tell the difference between us?"

"Not even you could tell the difference between us, remember? Look, it's perfect. You want to play, I don't, and nobody can tell us apart. We're on to bat first, so all you have to do is go along and bat, then pop back up here as soon as your wicket's over. I'll even field if it offends your sense of honour that deeply."

The Doctor had to admit that he was itching to play, and why look a gift horse in the mouth? "Alright, if you're sure. But you'd better point this brother of yours out to me in case he speaks to me or something."

"See that red-faced chap in the tweedy jacket over his whites? Looks at bit like a shorter, older me- us. That's Siegfried. Just be as infuriating as you possibly can around him; that's what I do. Of the other two in whites, the dark-haired chap is Siegfried's assistant, James Herriot, and the pretty girl with him is his wife, Helen. The lighter-haired one is the vicar, who runs the team. He's a good friend of mine, but tends to get rather enthusiastic when there's cricket in the offing. I'm sure you know the sort."

"And who's the rather speedy bowler practising run-ups by the pavilion?"

"Him? That's Tagger Herd, the other side's fast bowler. Bit of a demon, actually. Didn't I mention him? Ah, well, too late to back out now, I'm sure you'll agree. You'd better be getting down there now; I can see Siegfried's got his 'shouting at little brothers' face on, and it's best not to keep him waiting in that mood. I'll be up here if you need me."

"Hold my coat then, will you? Oh, and I should mention that my companions may be wandering around somewhere. Dark-haired, Australian girl called Tegan and a young lad in a school uniform called Turlough. Tell them where I am would you, old man?" He strode off down to the assembling cricketers with a confidence that made Tristan feel slightly guilty. True, he had given this eccentric doppelganger of his enough information to escape if he had wanted, but that didn't alter the fact that the chap evidently wasn't in his right mind. In fact, when asked to explain all the babbling about pocket watches and time-streams, he had informed Tristan with a completely straight face that he was a time-traveller from another planet. There was an odd smell coming from the folded coat on the grass next to him and, unfolding it, he saw a stick of celery, of all things, pinned to the lapel. Should he rescue this loony before he got himself into some kind of trouble? His eye was caught by Tagger Herd on the field below hitting a young farm lad's bat so hard that the lad, untrained and unprepared, staggered backwards and almost dropped the bat. Well, the Doctor, as he called himself, must be able to tell what he was getting himself into and anyway, there was nothing to be done now and he had been really desperate to play cricket, so Tristan was really doing him a favour. Above all, long experience had shown that the fates really seemed to enjoy going out of their way to make life go smoothly for Tristan Farnon, and who was he to argue with that? It would be ungrateful, for one thing. With a contented sigh, he lit a cigarette and lay back in the long meadow grass.


	4. Chapter 4

Having parted from the Doctor, Tegan set off along the banks of the beck that she had noticed running through the town in search of a place where she could cool her feet and enjoy the sun on her face. Sitting with her feet in the cool water and looking up at the blue of the sky, she had almost forgotten what normality felt like. There was a small copse on the opposite bank, and she heard a rustling noise among the trees. Unable to see anyone, but too comfortable to get up and find the source of the noise, she stared hard into the dark space beneath the tree branches and suddenly found herself confronted by two pricked, alert ears, a pair of meltingly dark eyes and a black and shining nose, all set into a mass of glossy and luxuriant fur, midnight black and dazzling white. She jumped in surprise, then laughed at herself, and the collie opened its mouth and seemed to laugh back, tongue lolling and eyes bright with intelligence. Tegan stood up and splashed her way to the opposite bank, then smiled at the dog and held out her hand to it.

"Hey, fella. Who's a good boy, then? Come on, there's nothing to worry about. Come here, then, boy. Where's your owner gone, then? Hey? Let's see if you've got a collar on, shall we?"

Wheedling and coaxing, she drew nearer to the big dog, which regarded her calmly, then stood up on its hind paws, revealing that its front legs resembled fur-covered arms more than normal dog's legs and remarked;

"Excuse me, miss, but I'm afraid I appear to have become lost. Would you mind conducting me to someone who can help me contact my home planet?"

Tegan, perched precariously on the river bank, started in surprise, teetered on the edge for a minute and, with a startled squawk, toppled backwards into the water.

* * *

Tristan woke to sound of the church clock booming and sat up in surprise. Surely the Doctor couldn't still be batting? But if not, where was he? With trepidation, he peered over the lip of the hill down towards the game, and was surprised to see that his eccentric double was still not out. He was even more shocked when he saw Darrowby's score. Had he inadvertently set himself up to look like a cricketing genius? He wished he had a pair of binoculars with which to see the look on Siegfried's face. No matter; he would be able to milk it as much as possible when this was over. The small matter of recreating 'his' prowess later on…well, he would deal with that when he came to it. There wasn't likely to be much of an opportunity for playing cricket in the near future anyway, he reflected grimly.

Tristan's reverie was suddenly disturbed by a shadow appearing over him. A glance upwards told him that it belonged to an irate, dripping wet young woman whose anger seemed to be directed at him. This was momentarily confusing, as he was sure he had never seen before in his life, then he noticed her foreign accent and he realised that this must be the girl the Doctor had mentioned. What was her name again? Tegan?

"You promised- you really promised this time- that there wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, nothing alien at all. Well, I should have known better than to trust you! I had barely been able to relax for ten minutes, and then the dogs- the dogs- start talking to me! Well, I'm telling you, I've had it! You can take this creature away with you back to Mars or wherever it came from, and you can leave me here. In the 1930s. I know how backward it is, I know there's about to be a war, but I'd rather stay somewhere that's reliably backward and war-torn than with someone who can't go anywhere without sheepdogs from the planet Zog following him about hoping to hitch lifts back to wherever they came from…" She paused for breath and Tristan, who had been opening and closing his mouth trying to get a word in edgeways, looked up at her with the vague feeling that he'd just been caught in an unexpected force 10 gale.

"Finished? Good, because, as I've been trying to explain, the man you're looking for is actually down there on the cricket pitch, refusing to be bowled out in my name." The young woman glanced over to the pitch, then back at Tristan in puzzlement. "My name's Tristan Farnon" he added "And you must be Tegan. The Doctor told me all about you, but he didn't mention how incredibly charming you are when you're angry…" Tegan's confusion levels were reaching critical. First the local animals started chatting to her, then the local men turned out to look exactly like the Doctor, and on top of everything, now they were trying to flirt with her- in his voice. That did it. Without a word to the young man, she stalked down the hill and out onto the field, hoping the Doctor would see her and take the hint to throw a wicket before she was forced to walk out onto the pitch and ruin the game.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so much. The bowling was faster and more furious than he could have hoped for in a tiny place like this, although his opponent was becoming increasingly angry at his refusal to go out and beginning to make mistakes, which took some of the fun out of the game. In fact, some of the balls were looking distinctly bodyline, which the Doctor considered bad form, but not illegal yet. Here came the furious bowler again, the expression on his face more than a little murderous, but-wait- there was someone on the pitch. Actually on the pitch! In fact, wasn't that… his concentration wavered for just a moment, and the next second he was lying on the grass in front of the wicket, felled by a speeding cricket ball in the exact centre of his ribcage. Yes, definitely bodyline. He had time to wonder groggily whether he was still in before he was surrounded by a crowd of faces, foremost among them that red-faced man- Siegfried- who kneeling by his side and shaking his shoulders;

"Tristan? Tristan! Oh, God, come on, speak to me, little brother!"

_Please don't take my pulse, please don't take my pulse…. _"I'm fine, Siegfried. Really." He snatched his wrist out of the other's grasp. "Just a bit of a bruise" He tried to reproduce Tristan's easy smile and struggled into a sitting position.

"Hmm, well, if you insist. But don't try to move for the second. Let's get you back to Skeldale house. It's lucky we've got the car here. You can tell me later where you learned to bat like that." The Doctor allowed himself to be bundled into the passenger seat of a delightful 1930s Rover, the back seat overflowing with multiple forms of dog-life, all sniffing at him with interest. "Alright, dogs, alright! What's the matter? It's like you've never seen him before. Now don't try to talk, Tristan; just sit there and we'll get you home." Gratefully, the Doctor sat back into his seat, vaguely wondering if he could tell the dogs in their own language to act normally without Siegfried noticing. He could have explained everything, he supposed, but he was feeling too winded for lengthy explanations, and it could have led to trouble for Tristan. Anyway, he had promised he wouldn't tell, and, well, his word was his bond. An old friend had taught him that…As the car pulled away, he noticed the concerned face of Tegan staring back at him. He only hoped she would find Tristan and discover the truth before she gave the game away.

* * *

Tegan watched the car pull away, then scrambled back up the hill to find Tristan sitting up in the long grass, a look of concern on his face.

"Did you see?"

"Yes, I saw." he answered shortly; "Is he alright?"

"I can't tell. He was able to sit up and talk, so at least one of his hearts must still be going. I couldn't get closer enough to find out any more."

"Let's get after them, then. I know where they're going; we just have to wait until Siegfried's out of the way… Wait a minute. What do you mean, one of his hearts?"

"I'll explain on the way. Just come _on_!"


	6. Chapter 6

On reaching Skeldale house, Siegfried insisted on supporting his 'brother' into the living room, the dogs dancing excitedly around them as always. A large, motherly-looking woman with grey streaks in her hair stared at them in amazement as they entered

"Heaven 'elp us, Mr Tristan," she exclaimed in a broad local accent "What on earth 'appened?"

"Took a cricket ball to the sternum, Mrs Hall," interjected Siegfried; "Nothing that won't be alright with a bit of rest." She looked unconvinced, but nodded.

"Well, if you need anything, you know where I am, Mr Tristan." So saying, she disappeared back into the kitchen. Siegfried deposited the unresisting Time Lord onto a sofa and looked down at him with concern. "You're sure you'll be alright here? I really should go and get my stethoscope just to make sure."

"No! No! I mean, I'm absolutely fine" The Doctor smiled up at him weakly. "Just a bit winded. Shouldn't you be getting back to the game?"

"Yes, yes; probably right, little brother. Now, you just stay there and- well… yes…" He strode out of the room, bawling at the dogs to follow him, and the Doctor was left with the distinct impression that this fatherly attitude didn't come naturally to the elder of the Farnons. Especially not towards his younger brother.

There was a brief pause, then a tentative knock on the french windows opposite, and the real Tristan appeared, accompanied by Tegan. Rising to let them in, he noticed that both looked slightly ashen, and realised with a guilty start that this must be on his account. Vaguely, he wondered where Turlough was.

"Doctor! You're alright!" Tegan's relief was evident. It was nice to know she cared at least some of the time, he reflected. Tristan, on the other hand, still appeared concerned.

"Are you really not hurt? At least let me check your pulse old chap; there could be long-term effects." He grabbed the Doctor's wrist, and blanched. "You're fibrillating! Sit down! Tegan, get Mrs Hall to ring for an ambulance!" The Doctor looked at him calmly, and gently detached his wrist.

"Didn't Tegan explain that I have two hearts? You check if you like, but I'm absolutely fine. The ball hit me in between them." Tristan took a stethoscope from a heap of papers and other paraphernalia on the sideboard and slowly put it to the Doctor's chest, moved it about a bit, shook it, listened again and eventually looked up at the Doctor in disbelief.

"So you really are an alien?" The Doctor nodded.

"Well, yes, actually, but that's not really the point. The point is…Tegan…why are you so wet?" She exploded.

"Well, that's nice! First you drag me here just so that you can get your cricket fix, then you scare me half to death getting hit by a cricket ball, now you're insulting me for no apparent reason!"

"No-" the Doctor's expression was exactly that of a small puppy that had just been kicked and didn't know why "-I meant your clothes."

"Oh." Tegan had the grace to blush slightly, "well, it's a long story and really concerns you, well, the TARDIS at least..." Before she had a chance to explain any further, Tristan, hearing Mrs Hall's step in the passage, grabbed both of them, bounded across the room, and bundled them out of the french doors.

"Sorry!" He hissed- "Mrs Hall's coming. Keep down!" A moment later, there was a knock at the door and the housekeeper entered.

"Mr Tristan? I've brought you a cup of tea and- what are you doing over there? You come and sit back down at once."

"I'm fine, Mrs Hall. Never better, I assure you."

"Well, you know best, I'm sure. But I was just coming in to say that I'm off down to t'cricket pitch to fetch your brother or Mr 'erriot. Jack 'ampson's just been on t'phone to say that he's got a cow coming down wi' summat or other, and he wants someone to 'ave a look at it. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Absolutely positive, Mrs Hall. Now you go and sort out Jack Hampson's something or other, and I'll mind the fort here. Give my love to Siegfried!" He hustled her out of the door, returned to the french doors and peered out in time to hear Tegan explaining the talking dog affair to his double.

"So, what happened after you fell in?" the Doctor was questioning; "you just came straight to find me?"

"No! I'm not an idiot. I told it- him- to lay low and that I had a friend who could help him get home. He was very nice, actually. Absolutely mortified to think he'd startled me, and terribly polite. He said it would be easy enough for him to keep himself hidden away."

"Hmmm" The Doctor looked pensive "Well, it sounds like one of the Sheppa, but what one of those would be doing down here, I have no idea. They don't even reach this part of the galaxy for another few centuries. Well, Tristan, it was wonderful to meet you, and thank-you so much for the cricket, but we'd really best see what we can do about getting this poor creature home. You didn't happen to notice Turlough on your travels, did you, Tegan?" As he spoke, however, there was a knock on the door, and Tristan held up his hand to delay the other two from leaving, waited for Mrs Hall to answer it, remembered with embarrassment that she had just left and went to answer it himself. On the doorstep was a tiny girl, no more than seven years old or so, who stared up at Tristan shyly and murmured;

"There's a dog been hurt." Tristan crouched down so that he was at eye-level with the girl,

"Really?" he enquired gently; "whereabouts is it?" The reply was barely audible;

"Down by t'river."

"Where by the river?"

"Near where t'ducklings are."

"I think I know where that is. And how is it hurt?"

"Dunno."

"Well, you're a very clever girl for coming to us about it. And don't worry; we'll soon have it as right as rain." The young man soothed. Sending the little girl away with one of the sweets Siegfried kept especially for the younger clients, he returned to the living room. "Did you hear?"

"We heard." The Doctor's face was grave. "I suppose she was describing where Tegan found the Sheppa?"

"From your description of it, I'd say that's exactly the place. The local kids feed the ducks there all year round."

"Well, if it is him, this is very serious. They're an immensely evolved, civilised race, you see, but, unlike most highly evolved species, they haven't evolved at the cost of instinct."

"What does that mean?" enquired Tegan.

"Well, in the case of the Sheppa, they're a civilised, cultured, articulate race until they become hurt or receive any very strong emotional stimulus, in which case they become creatures of pure instinct. They even lose their capacity for language. If this Sheppa is hurt, then he won't even recognise you Tegan, or understand that we're trying to help him."

"In short, he'll become another frightened, injured dog?" interjected Tristan.

"Exactly. And there's worse, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. The thing to do now is to find him before anyone else does, and to hope that he's not seriously hurt."

"I'll get my stuff." Tristan turned to go to the surgery, but was stopped by the Doctor.

"Tristan, you're coming?"

"Well, yes. I am a vet, after all. Probably a better than a doctor for this kind of case, don't you think?"

"Won't your brother be annoyed to find you gone?"

"Probably" the young man didn't seem unduly perturbed at the thought. "I'll leave him a note. Talking of which, are you sure you're alright to come? That ball must have come fast enough to crack a rib, even if it missed your hearts."

"Well, a couple of very slight fractures, but they're healing already. We Time Lords heal faster than you humans."

"We'll go round the back way, then. It's not really any longer, and there's much less risk of people seeing us and asking questions."


	7. Chapter 7

Tristan was right about the back way being quieter; they met no-one at all on the little path that ran down behind a row of terraced houses to the beck. Tegan looked up and down the stream for a moment, then led the others along the bank away from the town until she recognised the copse where she had met the Sheppa.

"Is this the place?" asked the Doctor, scanning the trees anxiously;

"Yes, I'm sure of it. He was right there, crouched behind that log." Tegan started forward to cross the beck, but the Doctor stopped her with a warning hand on her arm.

"Be very careful, Tegan. We don't know how badly injured he is. Now, both of you follow me, but slowly." He led the way across the stream and into the little trees. There was no sign of any dogs, alien or otherwise, but the Doctor's eye was caught by a few shards of metal wedged into the ground at the far side of the trees, where the lush, green fields of the floodplain began. He hurried across, pulled a shining shard from the ground, then tossed it away with a look of hard, cold anger on his face, one that Tegan had only seen very rarely, but which always scared her far more than anything else that she had experienced in her travels with him.

"So that's what the poor thing was doing here…" he muttered, his voice suddenly cracking with cold fury; "slavers."

"Slavers?" if Tegan was unnerved by seeing the look on her companion's face, it was nothing to Tristan's unease at seeing the same expression on what looked for all the world like his own.

"Intergalactic kidnappers, abducting whomever they can grab from anywhere and everywhere they happen to be, then selling them off on the few planets where slavery is still considered acceptable. I imagine the Sheppa became injured or ill and more than they could handle, so they just jettisoned him like a piece of rubbish onto the nearest planet. These are the remains of the capsule he came in. Probably thought they were being more humane than just kicking him out through an airlock. Humane!"

"But he wasn't injured when he was talking to me. He was fine."

"Yes, that's what worries me, Tegan. How long has he been here, recovering, and what's happened now?"

They were interrupted by a call from Tristan, who had re-entered the wood and was bending over a dark smear near the base of a tree-trunk.

"Doctor! Come and look at this!" The Doctor smeared a little of the stain onto his finger tips and sniffed them.

"It's definitely blood," he said, "And not from earth. It's also very fresh, so he can't have got that far…"

"'Ow do, Mr Farnon!" The cry came from an elderly man with a dog at his heels standing just beyond the wood, and Tristan leapt up, hoping he was the one that had been spotted. The Doctor and Tegan both instinctively flattened themselves against trees, while Tristan went to return the greeting.

"Mr Dugdale! Lovely day!"

"Now, then, Mr Farnon. Ye'd not be looking fer a dog, would ye?"

"Yes, I would, as a matter of fact. Did you see where it went?"

"Aye; over towards Ling 'ill farm. But it'll be long gone, now."

"Thankyou so much, Mr Dugdale. And did you see what happened to it?"

"Aye. I shot it. It were after me sheep. I were going to finish off t'job, stop it from suffering, but then that little lass appeared. I'd not shoot it in front of 'er, so I waited 'till she were gone, but it took fright at summat and disappeared the moment she left. By gaw, it could run, even on three legs. Reckon it won't last long, though. No need o'vitneries."

"Thankyou, Mr Dugdale," replied Tristan coldly. "I'd still like to make sure that the poor creature doesn't suffer any more than it already has done." He waited until the older man had gone on his way, then turned to see the others coming towards him, Tegan raging.

"Shot it? He had the nerve to stand there calmly and tell you that he'd shot the poor thing? Can't we do something about it? Tell someone?"

"I'm afraid he's within his rights" muttered Tristan grimly. "If he truly believed the dog was after his livestock, he had a right to shoot it. Those sheep are his livelihood, after all, and to lose them would be to see his family go hungry. Not much choice if you see it from his angle."

"Where's Ling Hill?" interrupted the Doctor urgently.

"It's a deserted farmstead roughly in that direction." Tristan pointed uphill, in roughly the direction of the TARDIS. "Not too far off."

"We'd better get going, then." The two men set off quickly and Tegan moved to follow them, but as she did so, a rough hand came from behind to cover her mouth, another grabbed her arm and a harsh voice hissed in her ear;

"Don't move, and don't make a sound if you know what's good for you."


	8. Chapter 8

For a split second, Tegan struggled furiously in the stranger's grip, then the hands released her and she spun round to see a familiar redhead standing behind her, laughing so hard that he could hardly breathe.

"Turlough!" He grinned impishly at her, still chuckling.

"Calm _down_, Tegan. I've always wanted to do that. Anyway, what were you so afraid of? It's not as if there's anything dangerous here. And your reaction was priceless!" He appeared about to go into another paroxysm of laughter, so Tegan grabbed his arm furiously.

"That's all you know! You should have known better than to think he could go- well- anywhere without some kind of trouble turning up." At Tegan's mention of the Doctor, Turlough glanced over her shoulder for the first time, blinked hard and turned back to her.

"There's- there's two of him!"

"And that's the least of our troubles," she replied grimly. "Come on; let's catch them up. I'll explain on the way." Together, they scrambled after the Doctor and the vet.

It was easy to track the Sheppa's flight due to the bloodstains on the ground, which became increasingly frequent as they climbed the hill, even though the ground was too hard for paw-prints. All four of the trackers were becoming ever more concerned for the creature, especially Tristan, who knew how much blood an average collie could lose before bleeding out, and how little his own expertise and experience in such matters was. He only hoped this Doctor knew as much as he professed to. They were approaching a road now, and he could hear a car up ahead. The rattling, grinding noise of its engine sounded oddly familiar, and, as the car rounded the nearest bend, he realised he would know that ancient Austin anywhere, and waved his arm.

"James!" His colleague waved back cheerfully, then, seeing the urgency in Tristan's face, stamped on the brakes. The car, not wholly enjoying the steep climb up the hill, wheezed to a grateful halt, and James Herriot peered out of the window.

"Triss? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down at Skeldale…?" His voice tailed off as he saw the three people standing behind the young man. He looked from Tristan to the Doctor and back again, pleadingly.

"Am I seeing double or have I just accidentally stepped into Siegfried's worst nightmare?"

"I'm sure my brother would only be too delighted to have two of me," huffed Tristan, "But as it happens, neither. This is the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough. I'll explain everything when there's time, but first, James, we rather urgently need your help. Where are you off to?"

"Jack Hampson's place, but it isn't urgent. What's the emergency?"

"I'll explain on the way. Hopefully we won't be too late. Bring what you can for a gun-shot wound in a dog." James jumped out of his car, grabbed what equipment he could carry from the boot and joined the others.

Tristan had barely finished explaining when the Doctor suddenly froze, holding up his hand for the others to do likewise. They were up on the fells now, almost knee-deep in sweet-smelling heather, and, as they moved slowly and quietly forward at his signal, all five were able to see the shape of a large dog, crouching fearfully in the heather. It lifted its head and looked at them warily, tried to stand, winced visibly and flopped back down, evidently in a huge amount of pain. It lifted its lip in a weary show of aggression, revealing a row of sharp, bright teeth.

"Get back!" hissed the Doctor. A safe distance away, he turned to the two vets. "Did you see how it was hurt?"

"A deep, fresh wound going right into the right hind leg; another in his side; and an old cut, not very well healed and more recently opened up, along the ribcage" replied James. "If we're going to save him, we'll have to operate to remove that bullet from his leg."

"Have you got the necessary?"

"I have the instruments, yes, but I'll need to go back to the car for some of them. And I wouldn't want to use anaesthetic without knowing a bit more about the species."

"Yes, completely right." The Doctor turned to Tegan and Turlough. "Do you two think you could find your way back to the TARDIS from here? Good. I want you to go to the sickbay, get as much disinfectant and as many clean sheets as you can carry between you, and there should also be a bottle of this." He dived into his pockets for a piece of paper and a pencil, scribbled something on the paper and handed it to Tegan. "Bring that here, too. Be as quick as you can." Recognising his urgency, both of them nodded and set off back towards the road without a word. He turned to James. "I've sent them for some anaesthetic suitable for the Sheppa. I know a little about the species, but I wouldn't want to perform the operation myself. I do have a medical degree but, well, it's a little less up-to-date than yours, and wouldn't be much help with a creature like this. His physiognomy is very similar to that of a normal dog, so do you think you could cope?"

"I can try." James attempted to look optimistic. "I'll just go and fetch the rest of my instruments." He hurried away down the hill. The Doctor turned to Tristan.

"Now all we have to do is to get near him. I'll try talking to him in his own language, see if he still has any vestige of intelligence. But be ready to get back if I say; he's very dangerous and he doesn't know what he's doing." Slowly, he crept through the heather towards the terrified Sheppa, keeping his eyes down, movements small and gentle and quietly making very strange noises, which Tristan assumed were the creature's own language. For a moment, it appeared to be working, as the big dog looked up at the Time Lord with what appeared to be a glimmer of intelligence in his eyes, then, suddenly, it gave a howl of rage and pain, and the Doctor gasped and yelled "Get back!" in a strangled voice, limped towards Tristan as if suddenly crippled by pain, and collapsed into the heather.


	9. Chapter 9

Aghast, Tristan ignored the warning cry and dropped to his knees at his double's side.

"What's going on? What's happening?" The Doctor looked up at him, blue eyes clouded with pain and gasped;

"Empathy…bond... The Sheppa's…final…defence…"

"What does that mean?"

"Get away…save yourself!"

"Not without you." Carefully, Tristan dragged the Doctor backwards and away from the creature until he seemed a little calmer, then laid him down gently. The Doctor spoke again.

"When…the Sheppa…feels threatened…can't run…it can form…a…kind of…tele-empathetic bond…with attacker…projects own pain onto them…magnified by ten times...can't approach…or attack…"

"Can you break it?"

"Only…Sheppa…can break."

"And if the Sheppa dies?"

"I…die." Tristan, now white as a sheet, stood up and looked over towards the black and white shape in the heather. How on earth could they get near it now? And if they couldn't, what then? Would he have to break the news to Tegan and Turlough that… He looked down at the Doctor, then heard the voices of his two approaching companions. He turned towards them, but at his first step, there was an explosion like a feathery firework beneath his feet and a pheasant rocketed up from where it had been hidden in the heather, cackling and whirring its wings in panic. The young man, who had experienced startled pheasants before, stumbled backwards, heart racing. For the Sheppa, this new terror was the final straw. It leapt up, tried to run on the injured leg, then howled in pain and sank back down, unconscious. At Tristan's feet, the Doctor gasped in pain again, then his eyes closed. Alarmed, Tristan dropped to his knees and shook the other's shoulders, but there was no response.

"Doctor?" Tegan was standing at his shoulder with Turlough just behind her. Tristan looked up at them. "He got too close, and the Sheppa formed something called an empathy bond with him. Means that, for as long as it's unconscious, so will he be."

"And after that? Will he be alright?"

"As long as the Sheppa is, then yes." She nodded, tenderly bent down to brush a stray lock of hair from the unconscious Doctor's ashen face, then turned back to Tristan.

"We've got all the stuff from the TARDIS." Tristan had the unexpected, and rather unnerving, feeling that she was expecting him to take charge in place of the Doctor. Why was that? She and Turlough seemed to know more about alien life than him. He was about to question her when James appeared at his side.

"What happened?" Tristan explained the empathy bond quickly, and James swallowed hard.

"Well, I've done enough operations in my time, but they've never been this important. And I don't think I've ever been this nervous, either. You'll help me with the operation, Doctor?" _They think I'm the Doctor! _Tristan opened his mouth to correct the mistake, then caught sight of the three faces staring at him as if he were their last hope, and it occurred to him how frightened they would be if they realised the truth. As frightened as he was. Unable to bring himself to let them down, he nodded and pulled on the proffered white jacket. Together, he and James spread the sheets on the ground and with infinite care, pulled the Sheppa on top of it. "Give him some of that anaesthetic" murmured James, as if to speak loudly would be to wake the patient; "We don't want him waking up." Tristan poured a little of the mixture onto a mask and held it against the creature's nose, trying to look confident, or at least calm. His colleague was carefully disinfecting the wounds and his instruments, possibly trying to work up the courage to start removing the bullets. Eventually, he turned to Tegan and Turlough, who were sitting by the Doctor's head and watching the operation with hearts very obviously in their mouths. "The leg's broken, and we'll need some clean water to make a plaster cast for it. Could you get some from…wherever you got all the sheets from?"

Turlough scrambled off obediently, and James took a deep breath, looked over at the unconscious man, back to the 'Doctor' and began work on the leg, cutting the wound further to find the bullet, then, after what seemed like a lifetime of painfully careful and slow progress, finding and drawing out the little pellet. There was a complete fracture to the bone, misaligned by the Sheppa's flight, but mercifully, no ligaments or tendons had been torn. He stitched what he could back together, then wrapped it in cotton wool, and began to form a plaster cast with the water.

When the leg was bandaged, although the more serious wound was yet to be treated, the relief was palpable. Somehow, everyone seemed more confident that this was an animal like any other and that it, and the hapless victim of its empathy bond, could be saved like any other. Tristan, for the first time, began to relax and, without thinking, to slip back into his old personality. "Well, at least this patient's a bit quieter than others I could mention, Jim…" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realised what he had said. For a moment, Tristan entertained the possibility of trying to rescue the deception and reclaim the Doctor's identity, but he knew it was useless. James sat back on his heels and gazed across at him.

"You're Tristan." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"For God's sake, Triss, why didn't you say so?"

Tristan was wishing harder than ever that the ground would swallow him up. "I didn't want to worry you. You all assumed I was him and he- he knew what was going on, and you all seemed so much calmer around him…"

"Didn't want to worry us? You had me thinking that it would only take a slip of my hand, and I'd have to go back to your brother and tell him…" James tailed off, exasperated. "Did you really think that this Doctor mattered so much more than you?"

There was no answer to that. Tristan finally dared to look over at the Doctor's companions, who were staring at him numbly, the Doctor's blonde head looking more vulnerable than ever as it lay pale and unmoving between them in the dark heather. Tegan was the first to speak, her voice unsettlingly quiet. "Save him," she pleaded. Both vets nodded dumbly, and returned their attention to the Sheppa.


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the operation was conducted in silence, apart from James' muttered requests to Tristan for medical paraphernalia or antiseptic powder. After what felt for all concerned like an impossibly long time, James pulled the final cat-gut stitch through the side-wound and sat back, surveying his handiwork nervously. "There's nothing we can do now," he said; "We just have to hope that it was enough. And that they come round when the anaesthetic wears off."

"How long will that be?" demanded Turlough, his confidence in earthling medicine not vastly improved by James' obvious insecurity.

"Not too long if this were an ordinary dog. However, for an alien creature like this, no idea. If there's no infection and no adverse reaction to the antiseptic or the anaesthetic, then they shouldn't have any reason not to wake up…" He realised that he wasn't reassuring anyone, and stopped talking.

If the wait for the operation to finish had felt long, this was nothing to how the three humans and Turlough felt as they sat waiting for the two patients to wake, not even knowing whether they ever would. The August sun shone exuberantly and brilliantly down on them, tempered just enough by a light breeze breathing over them the scents of bracken, peat, heather and late summer, while skylarks twittered endlessly in the impossibly blue sky, too high to be seen, and the occasional curlew trilled a triumphant descant over the alto burbling of peewits, but none of it was noticed by the four watchers. The Doctor's companions were muttering to each other, their voices hushed, as if they were trying not to disturb a sleeping child.

"Do you think he'd be able to regenerate if…you know…?"

"How should I know? He's just as alien to me as to you, Tegan. And you're the one who's seen it happen."

"That doesn't mean I know anything about how it works…oh, where's Nyssa when you need her? She would know."

Suddenly, Tegan thought she noticed the Sheppa give a slight twitch, almost too slight to notice, and felt a sudden surge of hope that left her almost breathless in its intensity. Before she could say anything, the toes of its front paws suddenly uncurled and stretched themselves into long, fur-covered, prehensile fingers and its eyes snapped open. It regarded all four for a split second where it lay, then suddenly leapt up as if realising something vitally important. A moment later, the Doctor took a long, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. He sat up in the heather and blinked, while the Sheppa shook itself and bounded to the Doctor's side, apologising profusely and enthusiastically.

"An Empathy bond! My dear fellow, I can't apologise enough. Absolutely mortified! It's no excuse, I know, but I had absolutely no idea…couldn't help a thing…Absolutely mortified…" The Doctor shook his head, smiling.

"Absolutely no need to apologise, my dear chap," he reassured the creature; "You weren't yourself. I should never have startled you. Please say no more about it."

"Terribly decent of you." The Sheppa seemed to relax, then noticed the stitches in its side, contorted itself to sniff deeply at them, then turned to James and Tristan, who were watching their patient with some apprehension. "Am I to understand that I have you to thank for saving this poor gentleman and myself? I am eternally in your debt, my dear fellows, eternally. Anything I can ever do for you, it will never be enough…absolutely anything…" The enthusiasm of the Sheppa's thanks were unfortunately wasted on the two vets, who, unable to understand his language, heard only snuffling, whining and yelping noises not dissimilar to those made by an excited dog too well-trained to bark. The Doctor, escaping from Tegan's furious lecture about not ever putting her and Turlough through anything like that ever again or There Would Be Trouble, approached them. The Sheppa was becoming increasingly upset by his inability to communicate his thanks adequately, and turned to the Doctor pleadingly. "Sorry to bother you again, old chap, but would you happen by any chance to speak the same language as these gentlemen? I don't speak the local lingo, and I'm having a deuce of a time trying to make them understand me." The Doctor smiled.

"Of course" He turned to James and Tristan; "The Sheppa wishes me to tell you that he is eternally in your debt for having saved his life, and that he only wishes there were something he could do to repay you." James and Tristan glanced at each other, then their faces simultaneously split into wide grins and, suddenly, they began to laugh. The others stared, and James managed to pull himself together enough to explain.

"Sorry, Doctor. It's just that, in all the operating, stitching, treating and life-saving that we do on a daily basis, that's the first, and probably the last, time that any of our patients has ever said thank-you. It's quite a novel feeling."

"A very nice feeling" added Tristan, then glanced at his watch. "My God, James! Look at the time!" James looked at his own watch, and realised that he should have been finished at Hampson's by now.

"Gosh, you're right, Triss. Well, I'd better be off. Doctor, it's been…an experience. Sorry to dash off like this, and please tell your Sheppa friend that it was all in a day's work, and a pleasure to operate on such an appreciative patient. I also deeply apologise for Tristan." The young man in question looked offended, but not surprised, and James hurried off down the hill with a wave.


	11. Chapter 11

"I should hurry as well," added Tristan; "Siegfried will be back from the game any minute."

"Well, how about a lift, then?" offered the Doctor; "You and James just saved my life; it's the least I can do." Intrigued but slightly wary, Tristan allowed himself to be led into off towards a beech copse, in which was standing, of all things, a police box. Not a type he had seen before, but without question, a police box. The Doctor opened the door and Tegan, Turlough and the Sheppa entered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Tristan hesitated.

"Honestly, it's no trouble walking. I don't think there'll be room in there for me as well." There was also the question of how a police box was supposed to constitute transport, but he let that slide. It had been a long and confusing day. The Doctor laughed.

"Room? Oh, I assure you, there's plenty of that." Still unconvinced, Tristan stepped nervously inside. If he had been unsure what to expect, that was nothing to his amazement as he looked around the strange, white walls, the impossible amount of space, and what that was in the centre of the room, he wasn't even going to try and guess. Tegan pulled one of the many levers on the strange centrepiece, and the doors closed behind him. The Doctor, who had followed him in and was now standing beside Tegan, smiled cheerily.

"You may want to find something to hang onto." The others all braced themselves around the strange object in the middle of the room, and Tristan followed suit by instinctively grabbing the nearest thing, which turned out to be a hat-stand. He had just time to note how incongruous it seemed, before there was a horrific noise, everything gave a massive lurch and he only managed to stay upright by dropping the hat-stand and gripping the walls. A moment later, the lurching stopped, and the Doctor smiled again.

"Home, sweet home, Tristan." Turlough looked sceptical.

"Aren't you going to check on the scanner, first? You know, your record with getting people where and when they want to go isn't exactly…"

"I got to Darrowby successfully, didn't I? And anyway, this was only a hop in space; there was no time-travelling involved."

"That'll be the day!" scoffed Tegan, but they did both admit defeat when the doors opened to reveal the garden of Skeldale house, and the console screen assured them that no time-travel had taken place. The Doctor raised his eyes to heaven.

"You know, sometimes I feel distinctly unappreciated around here."

"I'm exactly the same," enthused Tristan, pleased to have the conversation move in a direction he could understand; "I do so much work for my brother, and does he ever give me so much as a word of thanks? Never lets me have any time off, well, hardly any, makes me answer the phone at all hours of the night and morning…" He realised that he needed to get going.

"Well, goodbye, Doctor. If you ever find yourself around Darrowby again, please don't hesitate to come in and say hello. I'm sure I'll think of something to tell Siegfried. The same goes for all of you, of course, especially you, Mr Sheppa. It's so nice to have a grateful patient. And Tegan, if you'd allow me to take you for a drink some time…No? Well, it was worth a try. Goodbye!" He sauntered out of the TARDIS and into the Living room, normal composure completely regained, and jumped lightly onto the sofa, hearing the piercing noise of his new friends disappearing back to wherever and whenever they had come from as he did so.


	12. Chapter 12

In the TARDIS, the Doctor was looking around him and frowning.

"Tegan, Turlough, have either of you seen my coat?" Tegan thought back, then her hand flew to her mouth.

"Tristan and I brought it with us when we came to get you from Skeldale, but I think we must have left it there!"

The Doctor chuckled. "He'll have a hard time explaining that one to his brother." He reset the co-ordinates to return.

Back in Darrowby, Siegfried entered the living room to find Tristan reclining on the sofa, smoking with an air of innocence that he normally deeply mistrusted. Today, however, he was feeling slightly kinder towards his brother; after all, Tristan had gone out and faced Tagger Herd, when Siegfried had fully expected him to find some way of sloping out.

"How are you feeling, little brother?"

"I told you, Siegfried, I'm fine. Raring to go."

"Hmm, that would certainly make a change, but whatever you say…Tristan, is this your coat? I haven't seen it before."

"That? Oh, yes; that's mine. Bought it only the other day. Rather natty, don't you think?"

"As a matter of fact I do not; it looks like something a travelling entertainer would wear…and what's that smell…?" He opened up the folded garment, looked at it in disbelief, then at his brother.

"Tristan, would you care to explain why there is a stick of celery attached to your lapel?"


End file.
